Right Here With You
by Carebeark5
Summary: Sharon insists on a family camping trip before she and Nick move into their new place.
1. Chapter 1

Sharon glanced up as the door opened, "Are you sure you wanna watch a scary movie, just because I love them doesn't mean we have to actually watch one." Mariah asked as she and Tessa entered the living room with a box of pizza and a case of beer. They had planned to just veg out on the couch for the night and that called for junk food and a Netflix binge.

"Hi girls."

"Oh hey, Sharon."

She didn't want to intrude on their date night so she planned to leave, but first she wanted to run her idea past the two of them. "Just the two girls I wanted to see."

"About what? What's wrong?" Mariah asked setting the pizza on the coffee table and turning to look at her mom.

"Nothing's wrong I just wanted to talk to you about something. Nick and I are planning on moving to our new place next month and I wanted to spend some time with you before we leave."

"Oh yeah, of course, we will," Mariah answered relieved that nothing bad was happening. She had been a little on edge lately what with everything going on with Tessa. Which was why they just wanted to spend the night in and indulge in something to take their minds off of everything, at least for a little while.

"Well, I was thinking about a camping trip for the whole family. We can get out of town for a bit and spend some time together before we leave.

"Camping? Since when do we camp?" Mariah asked with a laugh as she plopped down on the couch grabbing Tessa's hand and pulling her down beside her.

"Well I know we've never really been camping before but there's a first time for everything, right. Besides Nick and Noah used to go all the time and they always had so much fun together. The campground they went to is beautiful, just look at this she said coming around the coffee table to show the girls on her phone.

"Yeah it is beautiful but camping? Can you really see us roughing it in a tent in the middle of nowhere?"

"Come on it will be fun and it gives us time together. With work and everything going on lately I barely see you. Not to mention it would be kinda nice you get to know Tessa better." Sharon answered as she took a seat in the chair beside them.

Tessa glanced up when she mentioned her name. Did Sharon really want her to go on their family trip with them, "Wait you want me to go?" She couldn't believe she was really being included after everything she had put this family though. She was still surprised they had given her a second chance after everything she had done.

"Yes, of course, we want you there." Sharon wanted to make up for not believing the girl when she claimed that those men were after her for money. She had wanted to trust her, for Mariah's sake but she was still weary. That was until she had seen the bruises, proof that Tessa had been telling the truth. Besides, there was no denying that Tessa made her daughter happier than she had ever seen her before. "Well just promise me you'll at least think about it."

"Ok, ok I'll think about it," Mariah loved her mom and Nick always treated her like a daughter but the thought of spending a weekend stranded in the middle of nowhere with the two lovebirds was a little too much family bonding. Besides, she had never been camping in her life and she wasn't even sure she would like it. Once Sharon left Mariah went to the kitchen to get some plates and napkins.

"You're gonna go right?" Tessa asked following her into the kitchen.

"I don't know."

"But it sounds like fun. I've never been camping before unless you count sleeping in your car."

"I've never been camping either but I'm not a very outdoorsy person."

"You ride horses," Tessa replied as they made their way back to the living room.

"Yeah but that's as far as I go," she laughed placing a piece of pizza on a plate and handing it to Tessa.

"Well, I'll go with you, come on it'll be fun." She could tell Mariah still wasn't sure about it. "Please, we can get away from everything for a bit and forget about all the drama I brought into your life."

"Ok, don't give me that face."

"I don't know what you're talking about, this is just my face," Tessa said with a small smile.

Mariah knew she was a goner. She would do anything for Tessa and she was right it would give them a chance to get away from everything and just spend some real time together. "Fine, we'll go camping."

"Yay!" Tessa squealed throwing her hands in the air. Mariah just hoped she wouldn't regret it once it was all said and done. But come on, who in their right mind would turn down that adorable dork doing a happy dance beside her.

Scrolling through her Netflix cue she found a few movies she had wanted to watch. "Ok, what about any of these?"

"We can watch a scary movie, I know how much you love them and it will give me a chance to snuggle up to you at the scary parts."

"You don't need an excuse for that."

The girls ended up watching two movies one after the other before falling asleep on the couch snuggled together under the blanket Mariah had gone to get halfway through the first movie when Tessa claimed she was cold. Sharon opened the door and spotted the girls right where she left them, the tv asking if they wanted to continue watching. Smiling she grabbed the remote and shut off the tv before turning off the lamp near the stairway and heading upstairs not wanting to wake them.


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning Mariah shuffled into the kitchen for coffee. Sharon was already seated at the counter eating breakfast but waited until she sat down and had a few sips before saying anything. Mariah was not a morning person at all and he family knew it. Mariah looked up and noticed Sharon staring at her, "Ok I know your dying to ask about the camping trip, so go ahead."

"Did you make a decision yet?"

"You only told me about it last night but don't worry Tessa talked me into it so we're going."

"Oh thank you. You'll see this will be a lot of fun it will give us some time together before we move out. And if you want you can invite some of your friends to join us as well."

"Friends? I thought this was a family camping trip?"

"It is but Noah won't be there so it's just the four of us, and Tessa of course. So if you want to invite some friends you're more than welcome to."

"So when exactly are you planning on going?"

"Next week if you can swing it with work."

xxxxx

 _ **Crimson Lights**_

 _ **xxxxx**_

Mariah snuck up behind Tessa and tapped her on the shoulder. "Hey you," she said spinning around with a huge smile that lit up her eyes.

"Hey, how's your day going?"

"Pretty good got some good tips today so there's that," Tessa replied as she glanced over to make sure there were no customers waiting to be served.

"That's good. "Mariah knew she was working really hard to get together the money she needed to pay off those guys but she also knew how hard it would be to get that amount in time to appease these douchebags. They had already come after her once and Mariah wouldn't let that happen again.

"Hey what ya thinking about? You spaced out for a second there.

"Oh I was just thinking about this camping trip, Sharon wants to go sometime next week.

"Oh ok, do you think my boss will let me have time off?" Tessa asked with a laugh.

"Oh, I dunno I hear she's a real slave driver," Mariah replied as the two started laughing even harder.

"Hey what's so funny?" Kyle asked walking towards them.

"Oh we were just talking about the little camping trip Sharon is dragging us all on," Mariah explained as the three of them took a seat at a table. Tessa had a few minutes to spare since she hadn't taken her break yet.

"Hey, it might be fun," Tessa replied.

"You haven't spent a lot of time around my family and we'll be stranded with them in the middle of nowhere."

"Oh come on they can't be that bad."

"Oh I disagree," Kyle said with a laugh. "But mine's the same way."

"Well good 'cause my mom told me to invite some friends to come along with us."

"Oh and you can bring the new girlfriend," Tessa smirked.

"She's not my girlfriend...yet. We've only been on like three dates."

"But you said, "yet" so that means you want her to be." Mariah teased.

"Well, I hope you will come it will be so much fun," Tessa said standing up and grabbing the towel she had been using to wipe off the tables. "I gotta get back to work, I'll see you later?" Tessa said with a smile turning to look at Mariah.

"Of course I'll call you tonight and maybe we can go see a movie or grab dinner or something.

"Yeah, sounds good." Tessa leaned over to press a kiss to her girlfriend's cheek before heading back behind the counter.

"So are you sure you really want me to come?' Kyle asked. "I don't want to crash your family vacation."

"You won't be if anything you'll be there to make sure my family stays on their best behaviour. And Tessa's right you should invite Lola, I want to get to know this girl, she's gotta be better than Summer."

"Fine, I'll ask her but don't you think it's a bit much to invite someone you just started dating to your friends family camping trip?"

"Well just tell her it's a bunch of friends getting together to hang out, you know have a bonfire, and all the stuff people do when they go camping."

"You've never been camping before have you?"

"No, why have you?"

"Yeah as a kid."

"Somehow I can't picture Jack Abbot camping in the woods."

"Oh I didn't go camping with Dad I went with Boy Scouts," he replied taking a sip of the coffee that Tessa had dropped off at their table.

"Ha, you were a Boy Scout," Mariah laughed at the image of Kyle in his Boy Scout uniform learning to tie knots and light a campfire.

"Ok, you can stop laughing now I was a kid. I didn't have a choice in the matter."

"Oh, I bet you loved it."

"Anyways I will ask Lola when I see her tonight."

"Ah another date already, someone's in loooove."

Kyle stood up and grabbed his coffee. "Leaving already? Can't take the teasing can you?"

"I have to go get ready for my date if you must know."

"Nice excuse there, pretty boy,"

xxxxx

 ** _The Ranch_**

xxxxx

Mariah was sitting on the couch with a glass of wine flipping through channels on the tv when Sharon walked in. "Hey did they give you the time off for the trip?" She asked setting her purse on the chair and sliding off her shoes.

"Yeah, they did."

"Oh sweetie you'll see this will be such a nice trip and Faith is really looking forward to it." She could clearly see how excited her mom was for this trip to happen as well, she just hoped it would be everything they wanted it to be instead of the let down she was picturing since Sharon had first brought up the idea.


End file.
